Gandhinagar, 2 August, 2014

Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel presented various civic development works worth Rs.158-crore taken up under the aegis of Surat Mahanagar Seva Sadan to the citizens at Surat today.

The projects included a glimpse of the Tapi Riverfront Development Project costing Rs.18-crore, other projects worth Rs.54.92-crore already completed, besides laying foundation stone of different projects worth another Rs.39.80-crore.

She presented a cheque of Rs.2-crore received from Surat MP Local Area Development (LAD) Fund for modernising Municipal Corporation Fire Brigade, a cheque of Rs.3-crore to City Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana for installing CCTV, and Rs.11-lakh towards Narmad Bhavan of South Gujarat University.

Mrs. Patel was present at the time of various voluntary organisations signing MoU for adopting 111 anganwadis – a unique inventiveness of corporate social responsibility as envisioned by then Chief Minister and present Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Speaking on the occasion, she expressed happiness at the growing allocation on people’s welfare projects under the Chief Minister’s Swanim Jayanti Urban Development with rapid urbanisation of the state.

The Chief Minister praised the pride and happy-go-lucky nature of the Surtis. She expected their greater participation in civic works. She also praised the Surti peoples’ capacity to convert crises like flood into opportunity. She appealed to the affluent class to come forward with contributions to make a success of eradicating malnutrition among the urban poor, so that all citizens get pure air to breathe, pure water to drink and clean surrounding to live.

The District In-charge and Finance Minister Saurabh Patel lauded the emergence of Surat city welcoming people from different states of India, mixing with the local populace the way sugar is dissolved in the milk.

Surat Mayor Niranjanbhai and Municipal Commissioner Milind Torwane spoke about the development works of the city.

Those present on the occasion included Forest & Environment Minister Ganpatsinh Vasava, Minister of State for Irrigation Nanubhai Vanani, MPs, MLAs, Corporators and prominent citizens.